North Point Mall
North Point Mall is a shopping mall, located in Alpharetta, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta). The mall opened on October 20, 1993 as one of the largest shopping malls in the country. The mall was the second final property built by Homart Development Company. As of 2018, North Point Mall is one of Atlanta's most popular malls. The mall's anchor stores are Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's, and Von Maur. History The mall opened with space for 6 anchor stores, of which 5 were occupied: Rich's, Lord & Taylor, Mervyn's, JCPenney, and Sears. One of the more distinctive elements of the mall was the Rich's store, which was designed with numerous distinctive historical elements and a more elaborate design to pay tribute to its lost flagship store in downtown Atlanta, which had closed only two years earlier. Though it became a Macy's in 2005, the outside of the store retains the elaborate sculptings of the original store. Mervyn's vacated in December 1995 and Dillard's filled the 6th pad on the east side of the mall the same year. A large parking deck was also constructed next to Dillard's. Parisian took the Mervyn's space, making the mall more upscale. The mall was renovated in 2003, when the interior was modernized to introduce more sitting areas, and in 2004, when an entire escalator was moved from East Court near Starbucks to the Sears wing of the mall. In June 2004, The Cheesecake Factory opened its 3rd Georgia location and first location outside of Atlanta at North Point. The store is located in the mall parking lot just beyond the parking deck. A walking path known as the "yellow brick road" connects the restaurant to the mall's East Court. In 2005, Lord & Taylor closed its 115,000 sq ft (10,700 m2). store at the mall leaving a vacant anchor. Parisian vacated in September 2007, after it was acquired by Belk, which opened in a new mall expansion. Belk closed in September 2009. The Belk space was in turn occupied by Dillard's. Midwestern luxury retailer Von Maur announced in October 2010 to gut the two-story former Lord & Taylor store and expand it to 140,000 square feet (13,000 m2) from 115,000 square feet (10,700 m2). The design includes reddish brick, a cupola and columns to echo Georgia and the South. The store opened November 2011. The former Parisian store converted to a 12 screen AMC Theatres featuring a MacGuffins bar, Recliners, Coca-Cola Freestyle, IMAX & ETX in September 2012. In 2014 the mall began to face competition with many mixed use developments, particularly Avalon As of 2018 the mall remains one of Atlanta's most popular malls. Sears closed in June 2018. Carousel A carousel that sits behind a floor-to-ceiling window in the food court was crafted in Brooklyn, New York by the Fabricon Carousel Company. The carousel's hand-painted fiberglass animals were modeled after those of a vintage Victorian carousel on Coney Island. It was shipped to Atlanta in December 1992 (originally to be displayed in the Perimeter Mall) and sat in a warehouse near Duluth, Georgia for 8 months. On August 1, 1993, it was brought to the then uncompleted North Point Mall, and was assembled in a huge, unfinished, high-ceiling room that is now known as the Food Court. Shoppers saw it operate for the very first time a few weeks after the grand opening. The carousel was supposed to have been the centerpiece of the mall; however, due to a broken part it did not operate until a few weeks after opening day of the mall. Gallery Videos File:HUGE Montgomery Hydraulic Scenic Elevator At North Point Mall In Alpharetta, GA|The Main Elevator File:Montgomery Vector Hydraulic Elevator At JCPenney North Point Mall In Alpharetta, GA|The JCPenney Elevator File:Golden Montgomery Kone Hydraulic Elevator At Dillard's North Point Mall In Alpharetta, GA|The Dillard's Elevator File:Schindler 330A HT Hydraulic Elevator - Von Maur North Point Mall - Alpharetta, GA|The Von Maur Elevator File:STORE CLOSED! Montgomery Hydraulic Elevator At Former Sears North Point Mall In Alpharetta, GA|The Sears Elevator External Links North Point Mall's Official WebsiteCategory:Shopping Malls Category:Malls in the United States Category:Malls in Georgia Category:Malls that opened in 1993 Category:Multi-Level Malls Category:Brookfield Properties Retail Group Malls Category:Former Rich's-anchored Malls Category:Former Mervyn's-anchored Malls Category:JCPenney-anchored Malls Category:Former Sears-anchored Malls Category:Dillard's-anchored Malls Category:Former Parisian-anchored Malls Category:Former Lord & Taylor-anchored Malls Category:Former Belk-anchored Malls Category:Von Maur-anchored Malls Category:AMC-anchored Malls Category:American Girl Locations